NAMES OF ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTSCONNECTED WITH WALES

Traditional Names of Astronomical Objects

Most cultures have devised traditional names for astronomical
objects, and many have established complex mythologies. These
often relate to the naked-eye planets, the Milky Way and to
constellation patterns.

In considering traditional Welsh names, we need to remember that
Welsh culture has been integrated into broader European culture
for millenia. Therefore, many Welsh-language names are the Welsh
equivalents of the general European names.
For example, the Welsh-language names of the planets are the Welsh
names of the Roman gods after which the Romans named the planets:
Mercher (Mercury), Gwener (Venus), Mawrth (Mars), Iau (Jupiter)
and Sadwrn (Saturn), Uranws (Uranus), Neifion (Neptune) and Plwto
(Pluto) (with, outside this pattern, Y Ddaear for the Earth).
Standard Latin names (e.g. Orion) have generally been used for
constellations,
but some Welsh-language translations have also been used where
appropriate (e.g. Yr Arth Fawr [The Great Bear] for Ursa Major,
Yr Arth Fach [The Little Bear] for Ursa Minor, Y Llew [The Lion] for Leo).
Similarly, star names used historically in Wales have been the
standard international names (e.g. Sirius, Procyon, Rigel).
It is interesting for us here to consider astronomical names of
specifically Welsh origin.

An additional issue faces us when considering traditional names for
star patterns and constellations. Iolo Morgannwg (Edward Williams;
1747-1826) produced a body of false scholarship at the end
of the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century,
particularly in relation to claimed traditions
derived from ancient Druidic sources. Some discussions of
traditional Welsh star pattern names have used the
work of John Williams ("Ab Ithel", 1811-1862), some of whose
writing is based on genuine manuscripts and some
on the fraudulent work of Iolo Morgannwg.
Great caution is therefore needed to avoid using unreliable sources.

A careful search through literature can find some sources that
are unlikely to have been contaminated by the fake scholarship
of Iolo Morgannwg and his followers.
One particularly useful source is the astronomical section,
Arweiniad i Wybodaeth o Seryddiaeth ("A Guide to a Knowledge
of Astronomy"), that Robert Roberts (1777-1836) of Holyhead
placed at the start of his geographical book Daearyddiaeth
("Geography", published in Chester in 1816). Robert Roberts
was well read in astronomy, and science more generally, and we
can view him as a relatively reliable source.
A few traditional astronomical names appear in old poetry,
and therefore clearly predate the writings of Iolo Morgannwg.

This table is a compilation of traditional names from
sources which are considered reliable.

Traditional name

Direct translationinto English

English-languageequivalent

Common modern Welsh name

Description

References

Caer Gwydion/Caer Gwdion

Fort of Gwydion

Milky Way

Llwybr Llaethog

Disc of the Galaxy

[2,3][1]

Bwa'r Gwynt/Heol Y Gwynt/Llwybr Y Gwynt

Arch of the Wind/Road of the Wind/Path of the Wind

Milky Way

Llwybr Llaethog

Disc of the Galaxy

[12]

Y Ffordd Wen

The White Road

Milky Way

Llwybr Llaethog

Disc of the Galaxy

[12]

Llun Y Llong

Image of the Ship

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[4,5]

Y Llong Foel

The Bare Ship

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[6]

Saith Seren Y Gogledd

The Seven Stars of the North

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[4]

Y Sospan

The Saucepan

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[12]

Men Carl/Men Charles

Charles's Wain/Charles's Wagon

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[12]

Jac a'i Wagen

Jack and his Wagon

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[12] Mid Wales regional name

Yr Haeddel Fawr

The Great Plough Handle

The Plough

Yr Aradr

Asterism

[4]

Yr Haeddel Fach

The Little Plough Handle

Ursa Minor

Ursa Minor

Constellation

[4]

Caer Arianrod/Caer Arianrhod

The Fort of Arianrod/Fort of Arianrhod

Corona Borealis

Corona Borealis

Constellation

[7][12]

Y Twr Tewdws

The Thick Group

Pleiades

Pleiades

Open cluster

[8,11]

Y Saith Seren Siriol

The Seven Cheerful Stars

Pleiades

Pleiades

Open cluster

[12]

Y Trypser

Pleiades

Pleiades

Open cluster

[12] South Wales regional term

Llathen Fair

Mary's Yard

Belt of Orion

Gwregys Orion

Three bright stars in a line

[9,10]

Llathen Teiliwr

The Tailor's Yard

Belt of Orion

Gwregys Orion

Three bright stars in a line

[12]

Y Tri Brenin

The Three Kings

Belt of Orion

Gwregys Orion

Three bright stars in a line

[12]

Y Groes Fendigaid

The Blessed Cross

Belt of Orion

Gwregys Orion

Three bright stars in a line

[12]

Telyn Arthur

Arthur's Harp

Lyra

Lyra

Constellation

[6]

Llys Dôn

The Court of Dôn

Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia

Constellation

[1,12]

Some of these, such as Caer Arianrod, Telyn Arthur and Llys Dôn, are
named after characters in the Mabinogi folk tales.

The Plough, the famous asterism (i.e. a group of prominent stars, not properly
a constellation) in the constellation of Ursa Major has a number of
traditional names. Yr Aradr ("The Plough")
is a direct translations of the name common in English-speaking countries.
The Plough has also been called Yr Haeddel Fawr
("The Great Plough Handle")
and Ursa Minor Yr Haeddel Fach ("The Little Plough Handle"),
which are somewhat different to the English equivalent.
Men Carl (Charles's Wain or Charles's Wagon) is the
Welsh equivalent of a name found commonly across European cultures,
derived from Charlemagne's Wain after the Frankish king and
first Holy Roman Emperor.
[13]Jac a'i Wagen, interestingly, also has an association with
a cart.

Names of Astronomical Objects Approved by the International
Astronomical Union

The International Astronomical Union is the body responsible for
assigning formal names to astronomical objects. Historically
names were taken from classical Latin and Greek mythology.
As larger numbers of astronomical objects have been discovered
and mapped, names have been taken from a much more diverse
range of the world's cultures. For the record, names
assoicated with Wales are mentioned here.

Lunar features

Some craters on the Moon have been named after Welsh scientists.

The crater Mee is named after Arthur Mee (1860-1926), the amateur
astronomer, journalist, author, historian and educator from Cardiff.
The crater lies on the southern part of the lunar Near Side, south
of the Mare Humorum: it is a relatively large crater with
disintegrated walls.

The crater Roberts is named after Isaac Roberts (1829-1904), pioneer
astrophotographer (the crater actually honours both Isaac Roberts
and Alexander W. Roberts, a South African astronomer, 1857-1938):
it is situated on the Far Side of the Moon, close to the
lunar North Pole.

The crater Wallace is named after Alfred Russel Wallace
(1823-1913), the biologist and independent discoverer of the
theory of evolution. It is found in the Mare Imbrium
lava plain: the crater itself has been flooded with lava
and only the top of the crater walls protrude above the
Moon's surface.

The crater Wilkins is named after Hugh Percy Wilkins (1896-1960),
lunar observer and cartographer. The crater lies in the
southern uplands of the Near Side.

Features on Venus

A large number of features have been discovered on the surface of
Venus through the use of radar mapping by spacecraft that have
been put into orbit about about the planet. Where features have been
named after people, these people have all been women in recognition
of the female character of the goddess Venus in Roman mythology.

The crater on Venus called Rhys is named after the writer Jean Rhys
(1894-1979), author of a number of books including The Wide Sargasso
Sea.

A number of women's first names have been used for craters, taken from
a wide range of countries and cultures. Among these is the crater Megan.

Arianrod Fossae is named after Arianrhod from the Mabinogi folk tales.

Mars

A number of features on Mars have been named after the words for Mars
in various languages. These include the valley known as Mawrth Vallis.

There are craters on Mars named after Porth in the Rhondda and after
Sarn.

Jupiter's satellites

There are areas on Europa, one of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter,
called Dyfed Regio and Powys Regio: these have been named after the
ancient kingdoms of Dyfed and Powys, not the more recent local
government areas.

Features on Europa named after mythological characters include
Amaethon, Gwern, Llyr, Pryderi, Pwyll, Rhiannon, Taliesin
and Tegid.
A feature on Callisto has been named Bran.

Asteroids

Minor planet 3634 Iwan is named after Iwan Williams, astronomer
and specialist on small bodies in the Solar System.

Minor planet 1827 Atkinson is named after Robert Atkinson (1898-1982),
the astronomer from Rhaeadr.

Acknowledgements

This page was created and is maintained by Bryn Jones.
E-mail:
bryn.jones.email@gmail.com
.
WWW home page:
http://www.jonesbryn.plus.com/ .
This page was first created in January 2000 (at a different
address).
It was last modified on 3rd March, 2009.
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This page replaced in August 2008 the old page http://brynjones.members.beeb.net/wastronhist/namesobjects.html
.
An archived copy of the old page is available
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